NI Education Minister attends International Summit of the Teaching Profession in Iceland

Education Minister, Paul Givan, has represented Northern Ireland as part of the wider United Kingdom delegation at the International Summit on the Teaching Profession 2025, held in Reykjavík, Iceland.

The summit, which was themed around Quality Education: The Key to Prosperity & Well-being, brings together education ministers, teachers, school leaders, and union representatives from high-performing and rapidly improving education systems worldwide to share best practices and address global education challenges. The Ministers' participation underscores Northern Ireland's commitment to enhancing its education system in line with international standards.

Speaking after the summit, Paul Givan said: “This summit was an opportunity to join with global education leaders to learn from the best practices of other nations, share Northern Ireland's experiences and bring back insights that will strengthen our education system for the benefit of our students and teachers.

“It was useful to be able to engage in discussions that focused on promoting equitable and inclusive education and on how best to support teacher and pupil well-being and development. I was able to share my priorities for Northern Ireland, such as introducing a knowledge-rich curriculum, implementing an evidence-based approach to literacy and numeracy, improving assessment, teacher training and professional development.”

A number of country commitments were agreed at the conference, including to make teaching in Northern Ireland an attractive, high-status profession where every teacher has access to the world-class professional learning, support and resources they need to excel in their profession.

During the visit Paul Givan also participated in a number of bilateral meetings and had the opportunity to visit an Icelandic school.  

Paul Givan concluded: “We are facing many similar challenges in regard to learning and teaching globally and there is much to learn from each other. By bringing together governments, teaching unions and experts, this summit was an important platform to exchange ideas on fostering equitable and inclusive education and supporting our teachers to inspire the next generation”

The UK Government delegation included Catherine McKinnell, Minister for School Standards, UK Department for Education; Jennifer Gilruth, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Scottish Government and Lynne Neagle, Cabinet Secretary for Education, Welsh Government. The Minister was also accompanied by Mark McTaggart from the Irish National Teachers' Organisation on behalf of the Northern Ireland Teachers' Council.

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